Image via Craig LaBan.
A giant Italian hoagie from Leo’s Steaks, an example of the Delco Meat Wrap.
Food critic Craig LaBan from The Philadelphia Inquirer recently completed a restaurant tour of Delaware County and gave the scene top marks.
But no trip to Delaware County would be complete without a hoagie tour. His tour included visits to several hoagie shops in the county.
This includes the DiConstanza family in Boothwyn, which has been making sandwiches here since 1925. They were part of a half-dozen stories about the “origin of the hoagie” that he wrote about.
He was careful to point out the Delco hoagie style, which requires a top layer of meat, usually pepper jack cheese.
“We want to put Philly at the forefront, so we’re putting more there,” jokes Dave Avicolli of Ro-Lynn Delicatessen in Brookhaven.
LaBan visited nine “prestigious” shops in Delco and had a hoagie showdown at his friends’ house in Swarthmore with beers from Aston’s 2SP and Media’s Sterling Pig. Is it on his list?
- Ro-Lynn Deli
- A top-class deli on Newtown Square.
- Mike & Emma’s Sandwich Shop in Folsom.
- LaSada’s Original Steaks & Hoagies in Milmont Park
- Leo’s Steak Shop in Folcroft
- Liberty Steaks and Hoagies in Woodlyn
- The hot dog stand in Milmont Park
- DiCostanza’s in Boothwyn
- The 320 Market Café at Swarthmore
Read the article in the Philadelphia Inquirer for more detailed reviews of the selected stores.
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Channel 6 traces the history of the hoagie.
Editor’s note: This article first appeared on DELCO Today in February 2022.
